Thank you @Katie, for inviting me to make a contribution to this year’s Remember in December. I recall last year celebrating the new coming in while on the beach with my large extended family and some guests from Croatia. At the time, I said that the year 2020 would be a year of clarity when we looked upon reflection. In the USA, perfect vision in a visual acuity test is often referred to as 20/20, meaning that a person can clearly see what’s 20 feet (6.1 meters) away. I don’t claim to be in the least be prophetic, but I certainly wasn’t wrong that the events in this past year opened the eyes of many, and made them see things that they hadn’t previously noticed, but were always there to be seen.
Visual Acuity in 2020
There were numerous inequities that were highlighted, the one that most struck me was the sudden lack of food security for a segment of the population who previously never had that concern. With the instantaneous shutdown of government agencies, business closures and businesses forced into issuing refunds, millions of people were left vulnerable with no way to earn an income and unable to get assistance from their local municipality. There were news stories showing people in vehicles lined up for miles to get a free food basket so their families could eat for the next week. Many of us are unfamiliar with the sort of helplessness that one must feel when you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. We’re used to being able to go to our local grocery market, and chose from a plethora of offerings. The lockdowns/lockouts triggered an uncontrollable level of anxiety for a lot of people who now realized that they were not that much different that the panhandlers they saw on the streets begging for money just to put something in their bellies.
Grocery produce
This anxiousness was palpable in the discussions posted on this community board. Especially, those that wrote about the refunds that had been given against their stated cancellation policy and without their permission. They had no income, but still had bills to pay, and were fearful of losing what they had.
Life is all about lessons learned, and bad times often brings out the good in individuals. Some people became very resourceful, and started planting their own gardens, community gardens, or in pots. Since they didn’t have money to buy seeds, they learned how to germinate seeds from foods that they had purchased, shared and exchanged seeds and seedlings with their friends, family members, and others in their communities. These actions build ingenuity and strengthen community, and are the things that help us all through difficult situations. I am confident that the comments shared on virtual communities like this one have helped people actually live through problems that they wouldn’t have been able to face without the support (and sometime chastising) of others who spoke up, because they cared about someone’s wellbeing.
Rather than let food spoil, restaurants and food suppliers gave away their perishables or sold them at a deep discount to help feed hungry people. Even through unfortunate there came goodness. Such as, there now are channels in place for famers to funnel their produce, cattle, eggs and milk to charitable organizations, and they will not have to destroy some much of it like earlier this year. Now that we have some idea of what the more immediate future will look like, and know that social distancing and masks are not going away in 2021 even with the rollout of vaccines. More so than any other difficult period in our history, we will need to continue to figure out ways to be prepared to handle disruption to our life routine, and help ourselves and each other while we navigate through this period when we are establishing a new normal. You are still allowed to complain, get upset, become frustrated, and be contradictory, but please don’t stop adding your perception, because we all need to keep each other aware of what may be just out of sight.
I write my post in memory of my dad, Marty, who would have celebrated his 87th birthday today. He didn't like gardening, but he was quick to lend a hand to anyone who needed. The funniest thing that I remember about him is that for his own convenience, he often typed in ALL CAPS. Maybe he was really yelling at me. I dunno, because I was just too amused.
Stay safe everyone.